"King Uzziah with Leprosy", by Rembrandt
This post is part of a collection of posts, and joined in on-line interaction with scores of others, in the reading of Jeremiah Burroughs' "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment".
Psalm 81:11-12 - “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels."
Could there be anything more horrible than a father giving up on his son? Worse still, what if God were to give up on us, and give us over to our stubborn hearts.
Jeremiah Burroughs:
"It is, indeed, a dreadful evil, one of the most hideous and fearful evils that can befall any man on the face of the earth, for God to give him up to his heart's desires. A kindred truth is that spiritual judgments are more fearful than any outward judgments. Now once the soul understands these things, a man will be content when God crosses him in his desires. You are crossed in your desires, and so you are discontented and vexed and fretted about it; is that your only misery, that you are crossed in your desires? No, no, you are infinitely mistaken; the greatest misery of all is for God to give you up to your heart's lusts and desires, to give you up to your own counsels."Burroughs tell us that "there is nothing that God conveys his wrath more through than a prosperous condition". King Uzziah was just such a wealthy man who incurred God's wrath for his pride.
And yours truly, Mr. Boomer in the Pew, has felt the sharp hand of God for my pride as I had begun to take the obvious blessings of God, and make them as though they were of myself. I was heading full bore down pride's path when God snapped me by the collar, and plopped me in Arizona.
When I look back on this now, I am very thankful. I suppose some might misunderstand that statement, but frankly, God hears it, and that is all that matters. I am so very happy that he cared enough for me to bring me his discipline, rather than letting me go, to chase my own prideful desires. Who knows where I would have wound up, and what damage I might has driven down the future generations of my family.
Sure, the market has ravaged my wealth, but that can be returned. We see that over, and over again as well. But whether it is or not, I am content to know that my Father cared enough to snap me out of my blindness.
In that, I find great contentment.
